According to Alex Ward, creative director of the game at developer Criterion Games, this game is a "complete reinvention" of the Burnout series.[3] He also said "To create truly next-generation gameplay, we needed to create a truly next-generation game from the ground up". The game is set in an open-world environment.[4] Initially day and night cycles were not included in the game but a software update entitled "Davis" added this element to the game. Records are now kept on players' drivers licenses and there as well as statistics such as fastest time and biggest crash for every street in the game. Unlike in previous Burnout games, "Crash Mode", now called "Showtime", can now be initiated at any time and place in the game.[5] While racing players may take any route to get to the destination. Races and other events are started by simply stopping at any of the traffic lights and applying the accelerator and brake at the same time. The game features multiple customisable game modes, [6][5] such as determining whether or not there is traffic in an online event, selecting race routes, and including/excluding cars based on their boost types.

The damage system has also been reworked. There are now two different types of crashes based on the car's condition after the crash.[7] If the player's car manages to retain all four wheels and does not break its chassis the player can drive out of the crash and continue playing; this is called a "driveaway". If a player's car loses any wheels, the engine is damaged too much from an impact, or winds up outside of the game's map, the car is in a "wrecked" state and the player will have to wait until their car is reset. Cars will compress and deform around objects they crash into.

Cars now have manufacturer and model names, which are loosely based on real-world cars. Cars may not be "tuned up"[8] or customized apart from color changes, which may be done in real-time by driving through the forecourt of a paint shop, which will randomly assign a color to the car, or by selecting the color in the Junkyard during vehicle selection. Other real-time changes include driving through the forecourt of a gas station to automatically refill the vehicle's Boost meter, and driving through the forecourt of a repair shop to automatically repair the vehicle.[9]

[edit] Multiplayer

The online lobby system used by most video games has been replaced by a streamlined system known as "Easy Drive". While driving, players simply hit right on the D-Pad and the Easy Drive menu appears in the corner of their screen. From there, players are able to invite other players from their friends list. Once friends have joined the game, the hosting player can select the event to play. A "Mugshots" camera feature is available for the PC via webcam, PlayStation 3 using a PS3-compatible webcam, and Xbox 360 using Xbox Live Vision.[10] When a player is taken down, their photo, or 'Mugshot', is shown to the aggressor, and vice versa. These photos can then be saved to the PC or console's hard drive.[11]

[edit] Updates and expansions

Burnout Paradise has undergone significant changes since its initial release. These have been implemented through several free patches and downloadable packs. The first major update, codenamed "Bogart", fixed several glitches and was scheduled to be released on April 24, 2008.[12] However, it was made available to Xbox 360 users on April 18, 2008 and to PlayStation 3 users on April 24, 2008.

The "Cagney" update was released on schedule on July 10, 2008 for PlayStation 3 and on August 4, 2008 for the Xbox 360. The update introduces three new Freeburn multiplayer modes: Online Stunt Run, Marked Man and Road Rage. Online Stunt Run involves up to 8 players simultaneously competing for the highest stunt score within 2 minutes (or as long as a player is still chaining stunts). Road Rage features two teams; one must race to a checkpoint while the others tries to stop them through takedowns. Marked Man is like a game of tag, with one player as the Marked Man who cannot see the other players and has no boost. In addition there are 70 new online challenges. These new challenges are different from Free Burn challenges, being timed. Timed challenges start with all players gathering at a point of interest. The players then must all complete an objective within a certain time, such as jumping a ramp. "Gagney" also brought custom soundtracks and 1080i support to the PlayStation 3 version.[13]

Although initially excluded, Paradise was updated to add time-of-day as well as motorcycles.

On April 23, 2008 it was announced that motorbikes and night-day cycles would appear in the Bikes Pack (originally codenamed the "Davis" update), along with tailored locations, challenges and game modes.[14] Criterion Games announced on August 5, 2008 that the update would also feature a new dynamic weather system, two starter bikes in the player's junkyard, 70 new bike-only challenges, and special "Midnight Rides" challenges that appear only at night.[15] The Bikes pack was released on September 18, 2008 on both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

On September 25, 2008 another update was made available which introduced support for the PlayStation 3 trophies system. Criterion Games originally stated that the trophies could be awarded retroactively to players who had already made certain achievements. However when the update was released they stated that this had proved to be impossible and that users would have to start a new game in order to achieve some of the goals.[16] On February 5, 2009, Criterion released the free 1.6 update, which includes the addition of an in-game browser for the PC and PlayStation 3 versions, allowing users to access the Criterion Games Network. An in-game store was also added to all versions allowing users to purchase content from within the game.[17]

[edit] Paid content

In addition to the free updates, Criterion is releasing several optional, premium packs that add content like new cars, areas and modes. The first update was announced as the "Burnout Party Pack" and launched on February 5, 2009 in North America and the United Kingdom.[18] It focuses on single-console multiplayer gameplay, offering a Freeburn Challenge-like setting but for people playing on the same console, passing the controller around to complete challenges. The challenges are split into 'Speed', 'Stunt' and 'Skill' with up to 8 rounds and up to 8 players playing at once. Criterion in addition also announced the combo pack "Burnout Paradise - The Ultimate Box" that launched around the same time which contains the original game, plus the Cagney, Bikes, Party pack and Update pack all in the same package which contained "a mountain of new refinements".[19]

On November 7, 2008 Criterion announced the first premium content pack called "Legendary Cars". The pack features four cars inspired by famous vehicles from film and television.[20] The Jansen P12 88 Special (based on the DeLorean from the Back to the Future films), the Hunter Manhattan Spirit (based on the Ecto-1 from the Ghostbusters films) the Carson GT Nighthawk (based on KITT from the television series, Knight Rider), and the Hunter Cavalry Bootlegger is (based on The General Lee from the TV series The Dukes of Hazzard).[21] The Legendary Cars pack was released on February 19, 2009 for the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360, and later in 2009 for the PC.[22]

On March 5, 2009, Criterion announced the release of the "Toy Cars" pack. It features a collection of new vehicles designed with a "toy car" aesthetic, although modelled as full-size cars. The Toy Cars pack has been released in three packs. The full pack offering all toy cars and also the Nakamura Firehawk; a toy motorcycle, the others splitting the content into two parts, without the Firehawk.[23]

On March 12, 2009, the "Boost Specials" pack was released. It featured two cars: the Carson Extreme Hotrod and the Montgomery Hawker Mech. The Carson was described as the fastest car in the game and featured a 'locked' boost; the car continues to boost until it is brought to a stop, either performing a 180-degree turn, slowing down with the handbrake or by crashing. The vehicle dynamics system were rewired so that the Carson performs more realistically than any other car in the game. The Montgomery Hawker Mech also featured a unique boost system, allowing the player to willingly switch between the three different boost types at the touch of a button.[24]

On February 6, 2009, via the Criterion Games Network, Criterion announced the "Cops & Robbers" pack, which was released April 30, 2009 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.[25] The content does not involve AI Police cars patrolling the streets but instead borrows from the Cops and Robbers modes of older Burnout games, notably Burnout 2: Point of Impact. Players are split into teams, the Cops and the Robbers. Teams attempt to return gold bars to their respective bases to score points.[26] Every Paradise car (except Carbon and Premium DLC cars) receives a Police livery with the content.[27]

Originally announced as the "Eastwood" pack coming in "Fall 2008",[28] the expansion known as "Big Surf Island" was released June 11, 2009.[29] Design for the island was guided by the principle of "If you can see it, you can drive it".[30][31] The island puts emphasis on the playground aspect of Burnout. The developers mentioned that in their telemetry they noticed that players congregate in areas of Paradise City that lend themselves to stunt-driving, and so the idea was to create an entire island to accommodate player desire. Big Surf Island also features new vehicles, including the Carson Dust Storm buggy, a car tailor-made for stunts. In addition to the Dust Storm buggy two specially featured cars, the Hunter Olympus "Governor" and the Carson Annihilator Street Rod are also included. The unlockable cars also include toy versions of all four "Legendary Cars" pack vehicles and a special Jansen P12 Diamond awarded for completing all 500 freeburn challenges.[32] It features several new events, billboards, smash gates, and mega jumps. New Trophies and Achievements were also added along with a new 'Big Surf Island License' to obtain.[33]